This was meant to be a bit of an autumn UK catch up after 5 weeks in Georgia, getting the last of the easterly drift migrants just before the wind turned westerly for the rest of the autumn.
Friday 16
Was a day spent on a bit of a chase around, starting off at Stiffkey, where we picked up 2-3 Yellow-browed Warblers, along with a really nice flock of Brambling, before heading off to Warham Greens to join the crowd looking at the wrong set of bushes before someone re-directed everyone to the right one, where good close views were had of the Isabilline Shrike. Then off to Burnham Norton for good views of the Steppe Grey Shrike, and finally Holme for distant views of the Great Grey Shrike and slightly obscured views of the Palla's Warbler, but which time we both suspected we were coming down with a flu type virus.
Saturday 17
We decided to have an easy day at Holme obs, unless anything turned up to stir us into a slight more active mode, but it did not. When we arrived a Yellow-browed Warbler was calling loudly by the Broad Water but would not give itself up. Ringing was slow, with an increasing westerly breeze and with two of our RG already there we left them to do the ringing, except they had the Pipit traps going, and we made a bid for any Rock Pipits caughtas they had both ringed Rock Pipit previously. Around 9.30am, a Rock Pipit was extracted which was initially thought to be of the Scandinavian littoralis race, which was given to Denise. Unfortunately for the RG colleagues, who had not rung Water Pipit, despite an intial query, after the bird had been photographed, I re-checked one or two features, to confirm the ID as Water Pipit, the first one rung at Holme Observatory.
Water Pipits - some of the features that tend to indicate Water Pipit, are brown grey back, rather than greeny grey, less obvious streaking on the underside, being browner and more defuse, less heavily streaked, including the flanks, dark black legs whereas sometimes Rock can appear with a reddish tinge to them, particularly in bright light, white covert tips and outer tail feather, rather than grey white, plus the 5th tail feather has a different pattern to it.
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Friday 16
Was a day spent on a bit of a chase around, starting off at Stiffkey, where we picked up 2-3 Yellow-browed Warblers, along with a really nice flock of Brambling, before heading off to Warham Greens to join the crowd looking at the wrong set of bushes before someone re-directed everyone to the right one, where good close views were had of the Isabilline Shrike. Then off to Burnham Norton for good views of the Steppe Grey Shrike, and finally Holme for distant views of the Great Grey Shrike and slightly obscured views of the Palla's Warbler, but which time we both suspected we were coming down with a flu type virus.
Saturday 17
We decided to have an easy day at Holme obs, unless anything turned up to stir us into a slight more active mode, but it did not. When we arrived a Yellow-browed Warbler was calling loudly by the Broad Water but would not give itself up. Ringing was slow, with an increasing westerly breeze and with two of our RG already there we left them to do the ringing, except they had the Pipit traps going, and we made a bid for any Rock Pipits caughtas they had both ringed Rock Pipit previously. Around 9.30am, a Rock Pipit was extracted which was initially thought to be of the Scandinavian littoralis race, which was given to Denise. Unfortunately for the RG colleagues, who had not rung Water Pipit, despite an intial query, after the bird had been photographed, I re-checked one or two features, to confirm the ID as Water Pipit, the first one rung at Holme Observatory.
Water Pipit
Water Pipit 5th and 6th tail feathers, above bird having the deep white wedge on the 5th tail feather
littoralis Rock Pipit 5 and 6th tail feathers
Sunday 18
Was aborted, as neither of us managed to rise before 9am, and apart from breakfast in King's Lynn, we headed home, both feeling rather rough.